Modulation of the aggregation behaviour and physicochemical properties of 1-dodecyl-3-methylimidazolium bromide in aqueous solutions by β-CD

<p>The modulation of aggregation behaviour of ionic liquids (ILs) in aqueous media is one of the important research topics. In the present work, aggregation behaviour of 1-dodecyl-3-methylimidazolium bromide ([C₁₂mim]Br) modulated by beta-cyclodextrin (β-CD) has been investigated by using conductivity, volume, fluorescence, dynamic light scattering and transmission electron microscopy techniques. The results suggested that the addition of β-CD significantly affects the aggregation of [C₁₂mim]Br in aqueous solutions. For example, the apparent critical micelle concentration increases with the increase of β-CD concentration; the average micellar size reduced with the increasing concentration of β-CD, and the process for micelle formation of [C₁₂mim]Br in aqueous β-CD solution is driven by entropy at lower temperature, while driven by enthalpy at higher temperature. It is expected that findings in this study would shed light on the potential applications of IL in supramolecular chemistry.